Liveblog: It’s Devils vs. Kings for the Stanley Cup

Adam Henrique poked a loose puck past Henryk Lundqvist less than two minutes into overtime to secure a 3-2 New Jersey win.
The Rangers, who finished the regular season atop the Eastern Conference, had rallied from a 2-0 deficit to send the game into OT.
On Wednesday night at the Prudential Centre, the great Martin Brodeur will make the 200th start of his playoff career.

Brodeur has not played in the Cup finals in nine years.

Ilya Kovalchuk scored and assisted on the winner to raise his playoff total to 18 … finally overtaking Claude Giroux for the lead.

The Q sucks!
Since 2000, only 4 Memorial Cup wins with 6 runner ups. They are terrible! No wonder players there are disregarded. That Hockey Excellence program would have made a huge difference. (Gigantic Sarcasm)

You completely missed the point here Cal. It is not the Q that sucks but Quebec minor hockey. The Q is full of Atlantic Canadian and Ontario boys who have benefited from the Hockey Excellence program along with American boys and their Development program. It is the Quebec born kids that suffer not the Q.

I haven’t missed the point, HF. There have been many great players coming out of the Q aside from the Maritimers and a few Ontarians. The Excellence program was a knee jerk reaction to the Europeans, especially the Russians, improving. The Soviet Union’s team first philosophy was thrown out and changed into a me first philosophy. Players that don’t pass and keep the puck until they run out of options may get away with it in the lower leagues and major junior, but it’s a big step from having too much skill against the young and inferior to facing Dmen who know what they’re doing.

The co-presidents of honour of the tournament, Montreal Canadiens legend Guy Lafleur and president Geoff Molson, took part in pre-game ceremonies with ex-Canadiens Yvan Cournoyer… They got to see two teams with a Canadiens prospect as captain: Jarred Tinordi of the Knights and Bournival of the Cataractes.

Keep in mind that in the “real world”, while its true an employee can be terminated for not performing, most employees can also leave the company at pretty much any time if he gets a better offer elsewhere. This doesn’t happen in pro sports.

While I agree with much of your point, I think there needs to be some sort of realistic option to deal with a Gomez situation – let’s call it the ‘Gomez Clause’, where teams are allowed to fire a player and have his salary off the books, and pay him only say one years salary. Of course, this can NOT apply to injured players…

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☞ “Wow, that’s a nice lookin’ pair of Crocs!” Said no one ever.☜

Problem is Clay, where do we draw the line for injuries? How do we deal with Marc Savard? How about Simon Gagné? How about Chris Pronger? Andrei Markov?

I think contracts should bind both parties. If they don’t, they’re as blatantly unfair as NFL contracts, or cell phone contracts (I have to promise to use your phone for 3 years for what reason now? So you can be shielded from competition? And I get what in return?)

My question wasn’t meant to discuss whether a player should get his money, since I am emphatic that he should, but whether a contract can come off the books if terminated and no longer count on the 50 contract limit. If such a termination is allowed.

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In the very long view, it is important that kids growing up in Québec love the Canadiens and recognize themselves in the team, and a bit of the team in themselves. There must be a strong, visceral, emotional connection between the fans and leurs Glorieux.

If you ever really wanted to leave and took your contract to a labour lawyer, you might be able to.

Things such as geography, and how you define “direct competition” and what qualifies as “trade secrets” vary wildly from company to company and industry to insdustry, but suffice it to say those clauses aren’t as iron clad as they appear to be.

Especially if you are a low level employee, and not someone like a VP or CEO. But those VPs and CEOs often have golden parachutes that keep them from being unilaterally terminated.

Again all these deals are two way streets.

Low level employee
They can terminate you… its pretty easy to leave the company for a better opportunity (2 way street).

High Level Employee
You can’t leave easily, but if they want to terminate you, you have huge severance… two way street.

NHL
Guaranteed contract, but you can’t easily leave the team for a better offer.

I understand that NFL contracts have guaranteed money. That money is ladled out to high draft picks, however. If a sixth or seventh rounder or free agent outperforms his contract and becomes a starter or even a Pro Bowler, he is locked in to the low salary he signed for. The team has no such restrictions. They can cut players with impunity for low performance, but if a player performs way above his compensation he has no recourse except to hold out, an option the current CBA has essentially eliminated.

So again, a contract should bind both parties, not just one. If the owners can cut a player for low performance, there should be automatic renegotiation benchmarks for high performers.

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In the very long view, it is important that kids growing up in Québec love the Canadiens and recognize themselves in the team, and a bit of the team in themselves. There must be a strong, visceral, emotional connection between the fans and leurs Glorieux.

All right, let’s agree that you’re comfortable with the way the NFL compensates its players and I’m not. I don’t think we’ll be able to convince each other otherwise.

Nice chat though.

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In the very long view, it is important that kids growing up in Québec love the Canadiens and recognize themselves in the team, and a bit of the team in themselves. There must be a strong, visceral, emotional connection between the fans and leurs Glorieux.

Yes pro sports are risky, but players aren’t some piece of meat that should have their contracts terminated or forced to refund their money if they can’t play because they are hurt.

You ask if Peyton should refund his money from last season because he didn’t play? I say HELL NO!!!

Here’s a guy who has done everything the team has asked of him for a decade, only to get hurt in the line of duty and now he shouldn’t get paid while he’s on the sidelines recovering from an injury suffered in his line of work?

How do we know that the players we as fans accuse of cruising aren’t playing through an injury, that is directly effecting their performance? Do they deserve to not have teams live up to their contracts because of that?

Question for those more learned than I: is an AHL contract guaranteed? By this I mean, when I look at the Bulldogs’ roster from this season, I see a lot of deadwood and longshots who don’t seem to be panning out. Now quite a few roster spots will be opened by not re-signing RFA’s and letting UFA’s skate, but can you terminate a minor leaguer’s contract before it expires and open up another slot in the 50 contract limit?

Any good links where I could read up on stuff like that?

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In the very long view, it is important that kids growing up in Québec love the Canadiens and recognize themselves in the team, and a bit of the team in themselves. There must be a strong, visceral, emotional connection between the fans and leurs Glorieux.

trini, I’m pretty much on labour’s side in any negotiations, and in pro sports also tend to side on the players’ side. I agree that it wouldn’t be fair to rip up a contract and tell the player they won’t get paid what the contract stated they would be paid. That would be blatantly unfair, it would reduce these ‘contracts’ to one-way obligations that bind the players but not the owners. In other words, an NFL contract.

But what I’m asking here is can a team tell a player to go away, even as they get paid, to clear a slot in the 50 contract limit that every team has. So the player would receive the money he and his agent signed for, but would need to find a new team to play for.

I’m asking this because looking at the Bulldogs’ roster it seemed loaded with guys who weren’t performing. Even those guys we want to hold on to, like Gabriel Dumont or Andreas Engqvist aren’t tearing up the league. Only Joonas Nattinen and Ian Schultz were pleasant surprises.

In this light, I’m wondering if we can clear out some of the guys who aren’t making much of their opportunities, and give a chance to some of the dark horses and overagers in the CHL instead.

Having said that, I can see that a lot of the suspects that I would want to clear out are RFA and UFA, so the problem might be easier to deal with than I thought.

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In the very long view, it is important that kids growing up in Québec love the Canadiens and recognize themselves in the team, and a bit of the team in themselves. There must be a strong, visceral, emotional connection between the fans and leurs Glorieux.

“I’m not sold on him being more than a third liner, and there’s nothing wrong with that. ”

You are right Tom! Bournival most likely would end up on a 3rd line.

But he wont be a 3rd line player like the ones we have been seeing in our line-up lately. You know… there because he does not have the skillset for a first or 2nd line regular spot.

He would be a true bonafide game-controller third line player. The type like I mentioned.. Tremblay Riseborough, MacPhee, even Gainey.

On the ice because of their ‘special skillset’. Non flashy hardworking competent and smart and dependable and yes artful enough to ‘control’ a game’s fortunes as it awaits a flash of brilliance for 1st or 2nd line magic. And sometimes, like tonight, provide the magic himself.

If he ends up as a third liner player it will be precisely because he doesn’t have the skills to be a top six forward.

I really like the kid, but he’s not an elite talent and comparing to perhaps the best defensive player in the history of the NHL might be a bit of a stretch too.

It’s awesome that you’re excited about the future, I am too. He’s shown that if he makes it that he’ll be captain material. A very hard working player who will do whatever his coach asks of him. Hopefully he becomes more than that.

🙂

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Our GM doesn’t need to leave his tie undone to create the impression that he’s working hard!

For instance, even if his skills had not apparently left him, GOMEZ would never be a third line player. But Moen surely will or another name would be the guy we got from Boston and who played in Europe last year. His name escapes me now. Starts with M.

Going to be like a whole new team down there next season, maybe even a Gomez? (hopefully not, pray for a buyout loophole)
Too bad they lost Henry to the DEL next year, I believe he would have been a great leader to help with their transition from jr. hockey.

Great leader might be stretching it, but he might have been useful. I’m just worried they won’t have enough room for everyone in Hamilton. Might see a few guys from this year’s team headed down to Wheeling next year.

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In the very long view, it is important that kids growing up in Québec love the Canadiens and recognize themselves in the team, and a bit of the team in themselves. There must be a strong, visceral, emotional connection between the fans and leurs Glorieux.

Good point about needing the room in Hamilton especially on the back end.
Maybe great leader was a little overboard but from what I ve read about him the last few years he was very well liked by our young Habs who played with him

Tom, I asked a question above that maybe you know the answer to, relative to the roster in Hamilton.

LH, I heard the same good things about Alex Henry, and certainly wouldn’t drum him out of town. Apparently he figured that the NHL wasn’t going to happen for him and he took his career in another direction. I wish him good luck.

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In the very long view, it is important that kids growing up in Québec love the Canadiens and recognize themselves in the team, and a bit of the team in themselves. There must be a strong, visceral, emotional connection between the fans and leurs Glorieux.

Wasnt that not the best hockey game you have seen this year. Exciting! All out effort! Some real ‘hockey play’ infractions which didnt need to be called and weren’t. The type of calls you didnt want to be made.

I totally am freaked out… maybe because of the habs prospects and especially somebody I identified from game 1 Bournival.

Congrats to the HABS prospects, to Quebec hockey, to CHL and to everyone involved. WOW!

And did you hear Garret. It wasnt a bad goal .. was a perfect combination of passes that made that goal!

I agree about his tournament. He elevated his game tremendously. I’m not sold on him being more than a third liner, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But wouldn’t be surprised at all if he exceeded expectations.

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Our GM doesn’t need to leave his tie undone to create the impression that he’s working hard!

YEP! Keep that mental pic in your mind Hardhabits. This guy is gonna play for the habs in a big way. He has the tenacity of a Riseborough, the relative size and grit of a Corson, the unselfishness of McPhee and the smal town habs-hero style of a Tremblay.

He aint gonna be like a 50 goal scorer… but he’s gonna be a heart and soul smart tough player who gives his all every night.

Oh by the way.. did you guys know Lafleur was taller than Cournoyer. I never knew that. LOL!

Quite right that Guy was taller than Yvan. Guy was relatively slender, while Yvan was short but powerfully built, especially in the legs.

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In the very long view, it is important that kids growing up in Québec love the Canadiens and recognize themselves in the team, and a bit of the team in themselves. There must be a strong, visceral, emotional connection between the fans and leurs Glorieux.

Brian Burke. He of the “we need to get back to compensating teams for executives leaving while under contract” gripe has been fined for tampering with the Sedins and now the Anaheim Ducks are going to file a tampering charge due to the suspicion of the Leafs already having negotiated with Justin Schultz.

How about some forfeiture of draft picks here NHL? The Devils had to give up draft picks for “circumventing the salary cap”. So what about circumventing Restricted Free Agency?

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Our GM doesn’t need to leave his tie undone to create the impression that he’s working hard!

The compensation argument is a trial balloon he’s floating, I understand his exasperation but many other organizations go through the same thing, the Canadiens included.

The penalty for tampering with players though is very real though, and it’s a hammer if they get caught. The problem is always proving it.

It’ll be interesting to see if Gary Bettman lets the Leafs off the hook or adopts a Roger Goodell ‘for the good of the league’ stern approach, all based on the evidence available of course.

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In the very long view, it is important that kids growing up in Québec love the Canadiens and recognize themselves in the team, and a bit of the team in themselves. There must be a strong, visceral, emotional connection between the fans and leurs Glorieux.

I hope Rogers runs the Leafs with the same attention and duty of care that they showed when they trumpeted that they would provide a livestream of the Memorial Cup earlier this season. Absolute total bush league.

Need a hockey analyst? Hire Nick Kypreos, the goon who intentionally took out Grant Fuhr in the ’96 playoff run, blew out his ACL, and effectively ended his career.

Want to bring NFL football to Canada? Enter into an agreement with a poorly run franchise, have a press-conference where the senile owner of that franchise cackles with the dessicated owner of the broadcaster over the fact that the taxpayers of Ontario built the stadium the event will be held in and then gifted it to you so you can then gouge the same taxpayers for tickets to that event. Make sure to appeal to the citizens’ sense of civic pride. It would be a black eye for Torontonians to not snap up every over-priced seat. Racketeers such as Ziggy Wilf and Jim Irsay and the corpse of Al Davis would cluck their disapproval.

Puck-teased a whole country with a vow to livestream the Memorial Cup, and now you kind of have to put out? Just throw on a horsebleep one-camera shot from the corner of the rink, with no replays or commentary or scoreclock.

You guys are heroes.

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In the very long view, it is important that kids growing up in Québec love the Canadiens and recognize themselves in the team, and a bit of the team in themselves. There must be a strong, visceral, emotional connection between the fans and leurs Glorieux.

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In the very long view, it is important that kids growing up in Québec love the Canadiens and recognize themselves in the team, and a bit of the team in themselves. There must be a strong, visceral, emotional connection between the fans and leurs Glorieux.

Think I got it. I thought a Sportsnet broadcaster had a Don Cherry moment.

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In the very long view, it is important that kids growing up in Québec love the Canadiens and recognize themselves in the team, and a bit of the team in themselves. There must be a strong, visceral, emotional connection between the fans and leurs Glorieux.

He has hands down shown the best of all our prospects at this tournament. He shows he understands his position. He plays almost perfect positional defense and for a kid his age it is pretty impressive.

I respectfully disagree about Tinordi. He’s my favourite Habs prospect because I feel that he brings the most upside of anyone but Bournival has elevated his game to another level in this Memorial Cup in my opinion.

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Our GM doesn’t need to leave his tie undone to create the impression that he’s working hard!

Yeah i guess the hands down thing is not what i was getting at. IMOP Tinordi has been the best followed by Bournival at a close second. The only reason i picked Tinordi is because of his consistency through the whole tournament. I find Bournival, while playing great, did not maintain that level. It took him a couple of games to get going.

Tinordi has been the best of the prospects probably. I just feel that with the relative expectations of each player that Bournival has been the most impressive. I don’t expect him to be more than a third line centreman. There isn’t anything wrong with that but he makes a habit of proving people wrong.

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Our GM doesn’t need to leave his tie undone to create the impression that he’s working hard!

you guys should have done what my husband did..marry someone who loves hockey just as much..and in our case even more..or just have two TV’s one for the Habs and whatever else comes along..and one for those stupid Sens…and of course that horrible history channel..

Haha, it sounded like the fans started booing that guy going for a million bucks.
That was a terrible effort but still a little harsh from the fans. I don’t think that guy played much competitive hockey growing up.